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Union set new standard | Sports Daily Newsletter

The team is doing what has never been done before

Julián Carranza celebrates after scoring a penalty kick goal in the first half of the Philadelphia Union's game against the Colorado Rapids at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania on August 27, 2022.
Julián Carranza celebrates after scoring a penalty kick goal in the first half of the Philadelphia Union's game against the Colorado Rapids at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania on August 27, 2022.Read moreCourtesy of the Philadelphia Union

A dozen goals in only two games is unusual for any soccer team, let alone one that has always cultivated a strong defense. It’s not as if the Union have let up in that area, either, as both of their recent wins involved blanking opponents. But the scoring spree is new, courtesy of a fortuitous melding of chemistry in the attack between Dániel Gazdag (16 goals), Julián Carranza (13 goals), and Mikael Uhre (9 goals). They helped make Major League Soccer history as the team became the first ever to score 25 goals in 5 home games this season.

Often teams with a high-octane offense leak goals profusely at the other end, but the Union defense, led by goalkeeper Andre Blake, also is chasing a low-goals MLS record.

But is it too much, too soon? Would any Philadelphians scarred by the Collapse of ‘64 for the Phillies, or even last season’s COVID-19 semifinal debacle for the Union, trade the plethora of scoring now for more goals in the playoffs? Sure, some probably would. But that’s not how the game works.

—Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Will the Union win MLS Cup this season? Tell us why or why not. Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The odds of a young hockey player making it to the NHL are microscopic. Two kids from the same family? Now that is damn near impossible.

Brothers Noah and Jackson Cates have accomplished just that with the Flyers. Giana Han and Olivia Reiner caught up with the brothers in their home state of Minnesota to see how they got here.

Bryce Harper is back. So are Jean Segura, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh. The Phillies are getting deeper and will continue to do so starting Thursday when the roster can be expanded to 28 players. Those extra spots are valuable in a late-season playoff push, and the Phillies will be strategic in how they make use of them.

The Phillies couldn’t pull off a sweep on Sunday with the Pirates ending their six-game win streak, but overall they continue to beat up on the National League’s weakest teams.

Next: The Phillies hit the road for a six-game trip beginning at 9:40 p.m. Monday against Arizona (NBCSP). Ranger Suárez (8-5, 3.38) will be opposed by Diamondbacks left-hander Madison Bumgarner (6-13, 4.53).

It’s unclear how much the Eagles learned in their 48-10 preseason loss to Miami when they were so overmatched by the Dolphins’ starters.

Devon Allen made a play on special teams to make his case to make the roster. Quarterback Reid Sinnett appeared to take a step backward in his quest to make the initial 53, and then after the game, Jaquiski Tartt declined to comment on how he might fit on the roster or his camp performance. Former Eagles draft picks might have a leg up on the competition to make the roster, but a few nevertheless are on the bubble.

But it was a preseason game that really seemed pointless — and the type of affair that could be the beginning of the end for NFL preseason games.

Dániel Gazdag wasn’t just inspired by the presence of Sixers star Tyrese Maxey to celebrate an opening goal by pretending to shoot a jump shot. Gazdag also claimed a hat trick, or three points, for the first time in his career.

It was part of a Union scoring spree against the hapless Colorado Rapids.

Now, not only are the Union firmly in first place in the Eastern Conference with the playoffs coming closer, but they might even have a shot at catching LAFC in the Supporters’ Shield race.

Worth a look

Seeking a star: The SWAG brings soccer to Philly’s Black and immigrant communities while searching for kids who could graduate to the Philadelphia Union Academy.

On the up and up: North Penn senior Yazeed Haynes wants to play receiver in college and hopes he can contribute right away at Georgia.

On this date

In 1885, Charlie Ferguson of the Quakers (the team that became the Phillies) pitched a no-hitter against Providence Grays, the first in franchise history. Philadelphia won the game, 1-0.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, Olivia Reiner, Giana Han, Scott Lauber, Jeff McLane, Josh Tolentino, and Mike Sielski.